Physics A addresses the concepts of one and two dimensional motion, Newton’s Laws of motion, vectors, forces, and momentum. Physics B addresses the concepts of work, gravity, planetary motion, waves, light, sound, and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
Course materials: Conceptual Physics (Prentice Hall, 2009); selected web sites. Students are asked to purchase an inexpensive set of science equipment and common household materials—the list will be available on the MNOHS web site one week before the start of each semester. Before a student can enroll in a MNOHS science course, MNOHS must receive a permission form signed by a parent or guardian (if the student is under 18).
Standards met: Students who successfully complete Physics A and B will have surpassed the following strands and substrands of the 2009 Minnesota Science Standards for Grades 9-12: The Nature of Science and Engineering (all); Physical Science (Substrands 2 and 3); Physics (all).
Credit: 1.0 (Semester A = 0.5 credit, Semester B = 0.5 credit.)
Honors Opportunity: Yes
Prerequisites: Physics A and B may be taken independently of one another. A full year of Algebra 1 is required for both courses.